NEWS

Lance Ferguson’s ‘Rare Groove Spectrum’ is out today

Lance Ferguson's Rare Groove Spectrum is a collection of newly recorded versions of classic Funk, Soul, Jazz and Latin treasures, which features some of Melbourne's finest musicians, including past and present members of The Bamboos, The Putbacks and Hiatus Kaiyote.

The album has already garnered support from the likes of Gilles Peterson (Worldwide FM), Craig Charles (BBC6), Jazz FM U.K, KCRW and Simon Harrison (Basic Soul).

Ferguson Says: “Some of these versions can almost be looked at as DJ re-edits, sometimes we're extending what may be a really short track into something longer, or teasing out the elements in a song that really make it work on a dance-floor. It's essentially what someone does with a club re-edit, except we went the extra step and re-recorded the whole thing with a live band.”

The classics re-imagined range from recognisable names like Earth, Wind & Fire and Manu Dibango, to rare groove gems like James Mason’s “Sweet Power Your Embrace”. Even modern classics get a look in, with Anderson Paak's 'Am I Wrong' given an 1980's style Boogie/Jazz Funk makeover. ‘Rare Groove Spectrum’ provides new perspectives on the obscure to the well-loved, from old-school to new sounds - these are rare grooves re-grooved... beautifully.

“To be honest, the prospect of Lance Ferguson selecting some of his favourite cuts and redefining them to suit his musical sensibilities is one mouth-watering prospect. …He has vision, he has superb taste, he has class and above all he is one heavyweight talent.

These musicians not only recognise a good groove when they hear one but know exactly what to do with it. The results can only be described as euphoric. Mr. Ferguson, I salute you for delivering an album that I suspect in years to come the more discerning DJs will still be playing and will itself achieve rare groove status in its own right.”Craig Charles (The Craig Charles Funk And Soul Show, BBC 6Music)

Blues on Broadbeach 2019

Looking forward to playing Blues On Broadbeach in May 2019 - Australia's biggest free music festival!

The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club Vol. 6

Thanks so much to the legend Craig Charles for including our song ‘Golden Ticket’ as first track on Vol. 6 of ‘The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club' compilation. Out on Freestyle Records Nov 30th! BTW tracks from two other Lance side projects (Rare Groove Spectrum and Menagerie) are also included. Pre-order the CD & digital here

Womadelaide 2019

So very excited to be playing Womadelaide 2019 - alongside the likes of Angelique Kidjo, Khruangbin, Tkay Maidza and many more. We had an amazing time when we last played in 2013. More info and tickets at www.womadelaide.com.au

National Live Music Awards 2018 Nomination!

We are very proud to be nominated in the Live R&B or Soul Artist Of The Year category in the 2018 NLMAs.

Winners will be announced at the award ceremony in Brisbane on December 6.

Ausmusic T-shirt day on Nov 16!

Order a Bamboos t-shirt in time to wear on Ausmusic T-shirt day on Nov 16! Enter the code #AUSMUSICTSHIRTDAY18 and get 20% off. $1 from every sale goes to the good people at Supportact, who help people from the music and entertainment industry who fall on hard times.

NEW WEBSTORE IS OPEN!

The Bamboos new webstore is open for business!Head there to find not just CDs, LPs and shirts, but also metal water bottles, reusable cups and more.

'NIGHT TIME PEOPLE' TOUR WAS A BLAST!

Thanks to everyone that turned out for the ’Night Time People’ Tour.It was a blast! Check out some great shots of the last show in Adelaide here from Hi Fi Way

The Bamboos at Granite Town Festival

October 6th

We are excited to be playing Granite Town Festival on the 6th of October!This Funky little festival is a community run event with a focus on bringing world class music to the country town of Moruya, which is located on the beautiful South Coast of NSW.We will be sharing the stage with some great musicians such as, Caiti Baker, The Strides and many more. Hope to see some of you there!

AUSTRALIAN TOUR KICKS OFF

SUPPORTS ANNOUNCED

MELBOURNE SOLD OUT!!

We are SO excited to finally be playing these songs to YOU!

And we could not ask for a better start than a SELL OUT SHOW in Melbourne! Other shows are selling fast, so don't sleep on those tickets. Grab them here.

We are also excited about the support acts across the tour. It's a chance for us to dig into the incredible wellspring of innovative emerging soul / funk / jazz talent across the country. Get down early and catch them in action!

Melbourne Hammond funk demonsKarate Boogaloo will scorch The Corner Hotel stage on August 4. Featuring members of The Cactus Channel, MountDen, Brenda, Jnbo, LeisureCentre, Frida and Laneous the band have caused a stir on the back of one 7” single and a fierce live reputation.

Opening at The Triffid is Brisbane all female neo-soul four piece Pink Matter, who draw inspiration from the likes of TheInternet and HiatusKaiyote.

Acclaimed beatmakerGodriguez, who produced SampaTheGreat’s breakthrough release THE GREAT MIXTAPE, will assemble his outward looking jazz trioGodtet to support at Oxford Art Factory on August 11. A leading light of an emerging Sydney jazz underground, Godtet pushes the boundaries of improvised music within a framework of hip hop, jazz, soul and psychedelia.

Adelaide’sWanderers picked up Best Blues/Roots band at the SA Music Awards in 2017 and open proceeding at The Gov on August 18. Their latest single “Off My Back” takes their sound into the territory of beloved US blue eyed soul acts of the ‘70s and ‘80s.

LIMITED EDITION 45 ADAPTERS

Merch Alert!These super-deluxe, customised 60g stainless steel Bamboos 7” 45 adapters will be available exclusively from the merch table at our upcoming Australian shows.Get in quick this will be a strictly limited run.

NIGHT TIME PEOPLE IS OUT TODAY!

We’re so overjoyed to finally be able to share ‘Night Time People’ with you. We really threw in everything we had to give and more on this one - love, sweat, tears and frenzied fervour over the countless midnight hours of weeks and months. We hope these sounds we laboured over will dance well in your ears this morning - and that some of these musical stories we have just set free might wend their way into your lives and hearts and mean something special to you. That is why we do it x

NEW SINGLE "BROKEN"FIRST VERSION OUT TODAY FEAT. J-LIVE

This is our new song ‘Broken’. It’s a song about resilience.You can hear in full the first of three versions we are releasing here

It’s not a sign of weakness to ask for help, it’s a sign of STRENGTH. But sometimes getting to that point can feel insurmountable. Still in 2018, mental illness holds a stigma and shame in many peoples’ minds – mainly through ignorance and a history of misunderstanding.

If you or someone in your life has or is currently experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, an eating-disorder, PTSD or any kind of personality disorder: our message with this song is that ASKING FOR HELP IS O.K. it should be applauded...In fact, it’s so worthwhile that it will most probably change your life for the better.

This is a message worth shouting loud, so we asked some friends from around the globe to jump on board with us – the incredible J-Live from the U.S, Teesy from Germany and our very own local legend Urthboy. In their respective versions they tell their own unique stories of resilience and you’ll be hearing them all over the next three weeks in pictures, words and sound.

We’re just a band, simply a bunch of friends who love making music together. We don’t pretend to be experts on this subject or to know anymore than you do, but we know that some of our own lives and the lives of those we love have been affected by this stuff – so if we can use whatever platform we have to raise awareness and help the cause then that’s gotta be a good thing.

Our new album will now be out on July 6th. But to make up for that we've got some great news. There is now a limited edition WHITE VINYL edition of the album. Plus for album pre-orders only with a limited number of bonus 7" singles to include. Side A features the sweetest track on the album, "Golden Ticket" while the B side is a live version of The Isley Brothers "Work To Do", recorded in November 2017 at one night of our Cherry residency. Australian customers can order it now from JB Hi-Fi, while customers from everywhere else can order it from our webstore. Don't forget that you can grab ticket and album bundles for our August Australian tour, which also now include the bonus 7". Head here to grab them.

"Golden Ticket" / "Work To Do" (Live At Cherry Bar) limited 7" single - available as a bonus for when you pre-order 'Night Time People'. But be fast!

AUSTRALIAN TOUR NOW ON SALE

THE BAMBOOS ON TOUR WITH ROBBIE WILLIAMS!

We are excited to announce that we will heading out on the road and performing our first ever arena shows in support of Mr Robbie Williams on his Australia Tour in Feb/Mar 2018.We will be hitting Brisbane, Sydney Melbourne, Geelong and Perth.Tickets are on sale now - so go get yours here!

FIRST SHOW OF 2018! SUNSET SOUNDS - JAN 14

Happy New Year Everyone!

We have our first show of 2018 coming up at Sunset Sounds on Sunday 14 Januaryin Central Park, Malvern East.

It is a family friendly free event and we will be joined by Jazz Party on the night.Hope to see you there.

CHERRY BAR RESIDENCYTHANK YOU FOR COMING!!!

The BIGGEST thanks and love to you all for coming out and and supporting our residency through November at Cherry Bar. We had an absolute ball and it looked like you did too!Hard to pick a favourite moment but playing the new album last night for the very first time was next-level fun...Bringing a one hour all-instrumental fully-segued set in Week 3 sure kept us on our toes...and what about Ross Irwin making his Bamboos lead-vocal debut after all these years!!! xoxo

EASYBEATS TRIBUTETHE BAMBOOS FT. MONTAIGNE - OUT NOW!!

It's fifty years since iconic Australian band The Easybeats hit the UK charts with their smash song ‘Friday on My Mind’, and Easyfever is showing no signs of slowing down.

The Bamboos (with guest vocals from Montaigne) are proud to be part of the 'Rebeat' EP recognising the everlasting influence the band continues to have. We're in the company of other great local artists such as Daniel Johns' Boom Tish project, KLP, LDRU featuring Nicole Millar and San Cisco.

“The Easybeats are one of the iconic Australian bands, their musical legacy extends to forging Australian rock ’n’ roll history in the beginning, right up to supporting young songwriters with the Vanda & Young competition now. It was a big honour to be part of this project.” Lance Ferguson

Our version of "I'll Make You Happy" is out now and the full EP is out on November 24.

To accompany the release of track, there is also an awesome Lyric video of'I'll Make You Happy'. Make sure you also check it out HERE!!

4 WEEK RESIDENCY AT CHERRY BAR IN NOVEMBER!

This is going to be a blast! Across four Thursdays in November, we'll be playing a special series of one off shows at one our favourite venues anywhere - Melbourne's own Cherry Bar. Expect to hear songs we haven't played for a long time, in ways you've never heard them before. As well as a sneak peek towards new music. All shows will be $15, so be quick!

Marking 10 years since our second album was released, we will play ‘Rawville’ from start to finish. As well as featuring fan favourites such as “The Bamboos Theme” and “The Witch”, 'Rawville' was the album that introduced the powerhouse vocals of Kylie Auldist to the world.

Some of our most popular songs have been soulful re-inventions of well known current songs by the likes of Kings Of Leon, Frank Ocean and James Blake. Expect some long-time crowd pleasers as well as a few surprise covers.

Taking it way back to when we first hit the scene in the early 2000?s, this will be a classic “Live Mix” style Bamboos Deep Funk instrumental set. Expect super-heavy breakbeats, incendiary solos and all your favourite early Bamboos jams.

We've been hard at work in the studio on our 8th album. So we are excited that this will be first the time our forthcoming record will be played anywhere. And we'll be playing it in full. Not a bad way to wrap up the residency.

QUEENSCLIFF MUSIC FESTIVAL NOV 25TH

So great to be playing this iconic seaside music festival, just 90 from Melbourne. We'll be joiningstellar line up. Catch us on Saturday Nov 25th. Tix here.

ADELAIDE FESTIVAL SHOW SUN MARCH 12

Adelaide! It's been way too long since we've partied with you (and few party like you can). We'll be playing the amazing Riverbank Palais stage, a floating stage on the River Torrens! It's on Sunday March 12 and is the perfect way to make the most of the long weekend. Tickets on sale now!

SOUL EXPLOSION - LIVE AT WARRAWEE MAR 18

We'll be playing a free, family friendly show at Warrawee Park in Oakleigh on Saturday, March 18. Also playing are Vika And Linda, The Meltdown, Hyjinx and the huge Warrawee Soul Choir. It's all hosted by our good friend, Rockwizz's own Brian Nankervis.

BOOS BOAT TRIP TO FITZROY ISLAND

Thanks to Explore Tropical North Queensland for taking out some of The 'Boos to the amazing Fitzroy Island during our first visit to Cairns for snorkelling and glass bottom boat fun. Check out more pics and read a chat they had with Kylie here.

BIG FREE SHOWS OVER AUSTRALIA DAY WEEKEND

We'll be playing three big free shows over Jan 26-28.

On Jan 26 we'll be part of the Sunday Sundowns series of free events at The Newport. It's great series of all Australian acts, and we'll be joined by Winston Surfshirt. Kids are welcome! More info .

On Jan 27+28 we'll be playing our first ever shows in Cairns. We are helping kick off festivities at BAR36, at The Reef Casino. Both shows are free. Joining us will be Nathaniel. More info here.

THANKS FOR A HUGE NYE, SYDNEY

Massive thanks to everyone who came to The Basement and a huge Happy New Year to YOU! xoxo (Photo: Scott Humphrey)

NYE PARTY MIX SETS!

To get you in the mood for our New Year's Eve House Party at The Basement in Sydney, we were lucky enough to get mix sets from all three of the insanely good DJs playing alongside us. Check out Meem's mix here, Paris Groovescooter's mix here and an exclusive mix from Shan Frenzie here.

You catch the amazing weekly radio shows from all three of them on 2SER FM.

THE BAMBOOS NEW YEAR'S HOUSE PARTYAT THE BASEMENT

Our first Sydney show in over a year and a half is going to be a special one. We'll be bringing in 2017 with our ‘New Year’s House Party’ at Sydney's home of soul and jazz, The Basement.

We'll be joined for a funk / soul / boogie throw-down by three of Sydney's best soulful DJs. Frenzie, Meem and Paris Pompor all present acclaimed weekly shows on 2SER (Groove Therapy, Back To Funk and Jumping The Gap respectively).

This is the first time we've played a headline show at The Basement since 2006, so expect this event to sell out well in advance. Only a block away from the fireworks , this promises to be an amazing way to see in the new year.

So this year it's time to skip the celery sticks and French Onion dip at that tired old NYE house party you always get invited to, and come down and catch The Bamboos New Year's Eve House Party!

Presented by Niche & 2SER

KYLIE AULDIST 10TH ANNIVERSARY SHOW!

Melbourne! We are celebrating our 10th year with one of THE great soul voices this country has ever produced - the one and only Kylie Auldist. To mark the occasion we are playing a special one off intimate show on Thursday at one of our favourite hangs, Cherry Bar. And it's only $10! There are pre-sells here, but they won't last long!

LOST LANDS FESTIVAL IN OCT W/ TIM ROGERS

Just 30 minutes out of Melbourne, Lost Lands promises to be an amazing few days for the whole family. And with as much to keep kids entertained as the grown ups, we aren't kidding. We'll be playing with TR amongst a herd of other great acts. Tickets and more info here.

BAMBOOS HIT BALI!

We'll be playing our first ever show in Bali at the world famous Ku De Tah restaurant and bar in Bali on Easter Sunday, March 27. We start at 4pm, and it's free. More info.

CLOSING NIGHT AT ROYAL CROQUET CLUB ADELAIDE, MON MAR 14

Just announced! We'll be closing act at the Royal Croquet Club in Victoria Square, Adelaide on Monday night, March 14th. We had a ball when we played there in 2014, cos we know that Adelaide can party. We're on at 9pm. Best of all it's free! More info here.

MOOMBA CLOSING NIGHT MAR 13 W/ TIM ROGERS

We're proud to be the closing act on the closing night at Moomba 2016. We'll be onstage with Tim Rogers at 8:30pm, with fireworks straight after at 9:30pm. Full lineup details at the Moomba site.

SIDE PROJECT ALERT: LANU 'THE DOUBLE SUNRISE'

Out now on Pacific Theatre is the brand new album by Lance Ferguson's solo project, Lanu. 'The Double Sunrise' is a lush album influenced by the romance of The South Seas. Musically, it draws from Exotica pioneers of the '50s and '60s such as Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman. Guest vocals come from Megan Washington (who also co-wrote five songs) and Melanie Pain (ex Nouvelle Vague chanteuse). You can hear the first two singles, "Dragon Sun" and "Nightmarchers" at the Lanu Soundcloud, and you can grab the album here.

BLUES ON BROADBEACH - FREE FESTIVAL IN MAY

We're thrilled to be joining a great line up at the FREE festival on the beautiful Gold Coast. More info. See you there.

THANKS, DOCKLANDS

Our free show on Australia Day with Tim Rogers was a blast!

THE BEST OF THE TRU THOUGHTS YEARS OUT NOW

To coincide with our 15th Anniversary celebrations this year, we're very excited to announce that on Nov 27th Tru Thoughts Records will be releasing a 14 track compilation of music we released on the label between 2006 and 2012. Also included are 3 extra exclusive live tracks never-before-available digitally and a brand new remix from Jonny Faith!

BAMBOOS & TIM ROGERS PLAY PERTH INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL 2016

We had a ball there back in 2013, so it's great to be a part of Perth International Arts Festival in 2016. We'll be playing with TR on Saturday, February 27 at the Chevron Festival Garden. It's a great line up this year, with the like of Jose James, Jose Gonzalez, Little Simz, Leftfield and more. Tickets here and more line up info here.

TR & BAMBOOS TO HEADLINE MOSSVALE FESTIVAL'S SUMMER OF SOUL 2016

We love regional festivals, and one of our favourites is Mossvale Festival's Summer Of Soul. On Jan 9 we'll be headlining with Tim Rogers. The rest of the line up is pretty special. This sells out fast, so head here to grab tickets.

VOTE #1 BAMBOOS FOR BEST LIVE BAND

We've been nominated in the Best Live Act category in The Age Music Victoria Awards, the biggest publicly voted for music awards in Australia. Head here to vote by November 6th.

VINYL OF 'THE RULES OF ATTRACTION' HAS ARRIVED

And it's well worth the wait. Go grab it at your local vinyl dealer (check this list for the store closest to you) or grab it online from JB or Warner Music here, and coming soon to The Bamboos webstore.

'THE RULES OF ATTRACTION' NOMINATED

FOR AN ARIA AWARD!

So very proud that our album with Tim Rogers, 'The Rules Of Attraction', was nominated in the Best Blues & Roots category at the ARIA 2015 Awards. We're in a heady field that includes Marlon Williams, CW Stoneking, The Waifs and The Black Sorrow. The ceremony is on November 26th. Could it be third time lucky? Wish us luck!

HOW DO YOU SUM UP 15 YEARS?

A HUGE thanks to YOU for helping us to get to this landmark. We couldn't have done it without you.

15TH ANNIVERSARY / 500TH SHOW

It's hard to believe that it's been 15 years since the first ever Bamboos live show. When Northcote Social Club asked us to be part of their 10th anniversary celebrations in September, joining the esteemed line up over the month of Jedediah, Adalita, Claire Bowditch and Andy Bull, we thought why not double the celebration? So Friday, September 18 will be a special show drawing on songs from our entire history. And you might expect a guest or two to hop up and join us. Oh, and we've worked out that this will be our 500th show! Only 300 tickets available, so be quick. Grab them here.

The 'Rules Of Attraction' national tour wraps - thank you Australia!

What a blast! We knew this would be a fun tour, but this national tour was off the hook! Thank you to everyone that came out and partied with us on the 'Rules Of Attraction' tour. You were all amazing. We can't wait to see you all again soon! XO

Rules Of Attraction Tour starts off in fine style!

Thank you Brisbane and Sydney! We could not have asked for a better way to start this tour. Head over to Scenstr to see a great gallery of shots from the Triffid show in Brisbane.

Melbourne, Torquay and Castlemaine - you are next!

The Rules Of Attraction Tour has begun!

Brisbane, thank you for giving the national tour an amazing kick off! Sydney - you are next!

'Easy' video is live!

1st Melbourne show sold out! 2nd show on sale!

Thank you, Melbourne! We are so pleased that we have sold out our home town show. "Due to popular demand" (we love that phrase) tickets are on sale for a second show at The Corner, on Wednesday June 24th. Grab them here!

The word is in on 'The Rules Of Attraction'

“It’s tight, a little cheeky and dapper as hell.”The Brag - Album of the Week – 4 stars

“This is a collaboration that’s brought out the best in both Tim Rogers and The Bamboos, proving the old adage that opposites attract.” The Music - Album of the Week – 4 stars

“..this is something completely different to what we expect from both of them..” Double J - Album of the Week

“It’s modern soul music of the highest quality..”The Age – 4 ½ stars

“..this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Rolling Stone Australia – 4 stars

“.. it’s the real thing and they sound made for each other..” – WHO – 4 stars

We loved making this album, so reading these reviews kind of makes our day.

And thanks to Double J and 2SER in Sydney for awarding us 'Album Of The Week' status!

Tim: “If someone says 'Hey man, how do you write songs?” I say, “Just listen and daydream”. If someone says to you “This is the way you write songs”, ignore them. You just have to listen and daydream.”

Lance: Tim’s Dean Moriarty to my Sal Paradise. I need Dean in my life because I gravitate towards being Sal. Kylie (Bamboos lead vocalist) and I are both very shy people inherently and what has been great playing with Tim is he’s naturally such an extrovert, one of the great men in Australian Music History – and present history! It’s exciting to see where that takes us.

THE BAMBOOS & TIM ROGERS ALBUM IN THE WORKS

That's right! After the fire and magic generated by "I Got Burned" and The Rock 'N' Soul Medicine Show national tour, an entire album of the one and only Tim Rogers collaborating with The Bamboos just had to happen. Stay tuned for more news in early 2015.